The DJ Plays My Favourite Songs

Every song ends...is that any reason not to enjoy the music

Friday, 11 April 2008

Hey everyone, apologies for the lack of updates over the last couple of weeks, am ending Digital Technique and The DJ Plays My Favourite Songs as of today, I just don't have enough time at the moment to update them as much as I want. Hopefully one day I will be able to bring Digital Technique back but for the moment am going to be blogging on a much smaller scale - http://stuckinagroove.blogspot.com/ - feel free to join me if you want! Cheers! :)

Tuesday, 1 April 2008

Yep, that's right another post on Michelle Williams, I did tell you i was a fan, so expect a LOT more once the video premieres and especially nearer the album release date. Anyway, following on from Break The Dawn premiering yesterday online, Michelle has posted her first video blog on her official youtube account, in which she thanks her fans for the positive comments about the song. She also reveals that the album she is releasing in August, is very different to the album she started work on 2 years ago, as she says "the direction the album turned, was a shock to me." Am possibly now looking forward to the album even more than I was yesterday.

She also reveals that she is going to be shooting the video for the single within the next few weeks, I can't wait to see what she has planned.

Monday, 31 March 2008

I had to post this song when I found out it had leaked in full, it is Break of Dawn, the first single from Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams' third solo album. The album is entitled Unexpected and is her first mainstream R&B album, after the success of the gospel albums, Heart To Yours and Do You Know. Although I am not a fan of gospel albums, I am a fan of Michelle's and have copies of both her previous albums, Do You Know in particular being an older (2004) album that I still listen to regularly.

The album is due for release in August 2008 via Music World Entertainment/Columbia Records, preceded by 2 singles, Break The Dawn in April and the Stargate produced Stop This Car nearer the time. It is interesting that the release schedule has changed, as Stop This Car originally leaked first and was the planned lead single but I can kind of see why it has been changed. Stop This Car is much more mellow sounding than Break The Dawn which will grab attention much more, as to many people Michelle is pretty much a new artist as far as solo success goes.

Listening to the two singles and the clip of the title track, Unexpected that has also leaked, it sounds like Michelle could have a successful album on her hands, providing her management and record label give her the opportunity to show what she can do. Following Kelly Rowland's success in Europe with her 2 most recent singles, Like This and Work, plus the upcoming Daylight, is Michelle also going to give Beyonce a run for her money as DC's most successful solo artist? See what you think.

Next up, is someone who will be familiar to anybody who watched last Summer's UK Big Brother, it's Chanelle Hayes. That's right after her on/off relationship with Ziggy ended for good, she has set her mind on a pop career and has signed a deal with Eminence Records. Her attempt to launch herself in the music industry is also going to be the focus of a VH1 reality series, entitled Chanelle: Wannabe Popstar, which is set to debut on VH1 UK on the 18th of April.

You can now hear a remix of Chanelle's debut single on the producers myspace and I have to say it is much better than I had expected. It's a fairly standard slice of eurodance music but it is enough to make me intrigued to hear what the original radio version is going to sound like. Whether or not Chanelle will have a long lasting career in the music industry is another thing, let's face it former BB contestants haven't had much pop success in the past i.e Nichola Hoult, Craig or Nadia.

Saying that I will probably watch the series and am quite looking forward to seeing what the music video will look like. Check out the remixed song here.

Sunday, 30 March 2008

In the last 4 years, we have seen solo projects from 3 former A*Teens, Dhani, Marie Serneholt (with one of my fave pop albums of 2006) and last year Sara with Glamour Bitch and her cover of Let's Get Physical. Now it is the turn of Amit, to unleash his solo material on the world. First of all I need to say it has definitely been worth the wait, his songs are very singer-songwriter-ish and would be the perfect musical soundtrack for One Tree Hill or one of those other US teen drama's.

His debut album, Songs In The Key Of Mine, is due for release in Sweden on the 4th April and if lead single, Stay and the other songs available to stream on his myspace are anything to go by, it is definitely going to be an album worth buying. Stay is a great uptempo guitar-pop song which could definitely be a hit in both the UK and US, but the most instant of his songs is definitely Judge You, which I have had on repeat ALL afternoon and is available to download NOW from Amit's myspace.

Hands up if you remember Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko or just Ruslana as she is better known, well she is gearing up for the release of her second English language album, Wild Energy, this year. Of course, Ruslana is still best known outside of her native Ukraine for her winning performance of Wild Dances at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest and subsequent success throughout Europe with the song and album of the same name. Since then, Ruslana has kept herself busy releasing a remix album in 2005 and working on Amazonka, the Ukranian version of Wild Energy which she has just released. Away from her music, Ruslana was elected as a member of the Ukranian parliament in 2006 but stood down in June 2007.

This is the first single from Wild Energy and features a guest appearance from US rapper T-Pain, which seems to be a conscious effort to try and launch Ruslana to a wider audience, a la Kylie's reworking of All I See with MIMS for the US release of X. Although working with US stars can help your career, it doesn't always work as planned, for example Alsou's 2005 collaboration with Nelly on Wish I Didn't Know and her duet with Bon Jovi on Livin' On A Prayer for the Russian release of the latter's album, This Left Feels Right, neither of which were ever officially released.

If the eventual plan for Wild Energy is for a release in the US, would it be successful? To continue with the Kylie comparison, at least she has already had some, albeit limited, success with her previous albums Fever and to a lesser extent Body Language both charting well in the US. Whatever the reason for the collaboration with T-Pain, Moon Of Dreams is another catchy single from Ruslana which deserves to be a hit, at least in Europe. I still love Wild Dances, the album, and am looking forward to more English language songs from Ruslana, especially after hearing this song and am particularly intrigued by the rumoured Missy Elliott collaboration entitled The Girl That Rules.

As you've probably noticed, I've had a bit of a facelift and given the blog a new look. The songs that I've posted over the last week or so since I launched The DJ Plays My Favourite Songs have all been moved over onto my old blog Digital Technique, in preparation for the relaunch which I have been working on this weekend.

Instead of posting loads of MP3's here, I am going to feature more music news, the latest videos, album reviews and loads of other bits and pieces I haven't even thought of yet. At the same time, Digital Technique is making a limited comeback with maybe one post a week, so if you're looking for the usual mix of long forgotten pop 'classics' then that is the place for you to go.

Anyway have a look around the new and improved The DJ Plays My Favourite Songs and see what you think of it.

Welcome

Hey! Welcome to my new music blog The DJ Plays My Favourite Songs. I will be posting lots of random music videos, music news, album reviews and hopefully introducing you to some new music through the wonder of myspace.

Remember comments are always appreciated and feel free to get in touch via the email address. :)

The Important Bit

All music posted on The DJ Plays My Favourite Songs is featured to try and promote the artists. If you do like any of the music featured on my blog, then please support the artists by buying their material, either online or from your local music retailers.

If you do represent any of the artists that I feature on the blog and wish for their material to be removed, then please email me at the address below and I will do so as quickly as possible.